Easy Habits for Staying Organized

Some people are super organized – they have their days mapped out, they never run out of coffee, and they always seem to have a handle on what’s going on. Some people may find it to be a little more difficult.

Sometimes we talk about organization like it’s a personality trait by announcing things such as “I’m so unorganized, I’d lose my head if it wasn’t screwed on.” But the thing to know about organization is that it’s not actually a personality trait at all, but rather it’s a skill. This means that just like all skills, it can be learned, perfected, and mastered.

The first step in becoming more organized is to take a look at your daily habits. Determine areas in your day that work for you, as well as areas that need help. Then, start working on creating new, healthy habits that work for your goals. Print off this free habit tracker to help you get started on this.

Here are some key habits to work on that will help you stay more organized.

Keep a planner or calendar

Let’s start with the basics, keeping a planner or calendar is one of the best ways to stay organized. Use it to schedule any of your meetings, appointments, or events, but also for things such as your bill payments, renewals, or upcoming financial obligations. Having an overview of what you can expect personally, professionally, and financially can help you stay organized and plan for the month ahead.

Map out your week

If you ever feel overwhelmed with how much you need to accomplish, this point is for you. At the start of the week, make a list of everything that needs your attention. From appointments and meetings, to projects, to chores, write everything down on the left-hand side of a piece of paper (or note app on your phone). On the right-hand side of your paper, write down the date (and time if applicable) when everything needs to be accomplished. Of course, things will likely come up and change through the week, but having one concise list of everything you need to do is a great starting point.

Remember to include time to rest, relax, and exercise to avoid burnout

Sometimes we can get so focused on everything we need to get done that we forget to prioritize our own self-care as well. While you don’t necessarily need to schedule it into your day, treat the idea of doing something for yourself as you would a meeting at work – you’d make it happen. Give yourself a few minutes to read in the evenings, schedule a distant reiki appointment from the comfort of your own home, make sure you’re in bed at a reasonable time, or try to go for a short walk on your lunch break.

Prioritize your time

After you’ve mapped out your week, you’re able to go through it and prioritize your time. For example, if you know you have a report due on Thursday at 3, but after mapping out your week you’ve realized just how busy things are going to be, you may make the decision to finish it on Monday instead. Prioritizing your time is essentially allocating it to different tasks in a way that’s effective and efficient. It allows you to spend more time on the things that actually need your attention and less time on the filler work.

Prep the night before

Prep what you can the night before. This could include laying out your clothes, making your lunch, packing your briefcase, or having things set up to grab and go in the morning. Having things ready to go in the morning can help you feel less rushed in the morning, which can help you start your day off feeling calmer and more level-headed.

Set reminders

Setting reminders on your phone to go off a specific time or location can help with staying organized a ton. For example, if you need to schedule a dentist appointment but keep forgetting to do it on your lunch break, set a reminder for when you’re on your break. Or if you need to pick up coffee on your way home from work to avoid an extra trip to the coffee shop in the morning, set a reminder for a few minutes before you leave the office. We can schedule as much in advance as we want, but the reality is that we can easily still forget to do things, especially if it’s a small task. Think of setting a reminder as essentially your past self sending your future self a text that says, “don’t worry, I’ve got your back with this.”

Involve help

If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, and don’t know where to begin, sometimes the best place to start is by involving outside help. For example, if you need help organizing your closet, or going through your inbox, try recruiting your friends or family members. If you’re feeling extremely bombarded by your to-do lists, and feel as though you require a little more clarity in your life, you may be interested in hiring a life coach to help you set your goals and create an action plan! To book a free call to find out how coaching could benefit you, send me an email today!